


Dungeons and Dragons (and Dereks)

by MercuryWells



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dungeons & Dragons, Blood and Gore, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, M/M, Magic!Stiles, Slow Burn, Violence, well mostly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:33:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22131832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MercuryWells/pseuds/MercuryWells
Summary: Stiles and friends get transported into their Dungeons and Dragons game. To escape, they'll have to learn many new things about themselves, and maybe even about each other ;)
Relationships: Allison Argent/Lydia Martin, Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Isaac Lahey/Scott McCall/Kira Yukimura, Scott McCall/Kira Yukimura
Comments: 7
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Actual knowledge of how Dungeons and Dragons works might help with understanding parts of Chapter 1, but shouldn't be necessary for the rest of the fic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Starring**
> 
> Stiles Stilinski as the Dungeon Master 
> 
> Scott McCall as Alphonse “The Alpha” Ivrea  
> Firbolg, Fighter level 5 (Battle Master) 
> 
> Issac Lahey as Samson  
> Half-elf, Paladin level 5 (Oath of Devotion)
> 
> Lydia Martin as Claire Lothleyn  
> High Elf, Wizard level 5 (School of Transmutation) 
> 
> Allison Argent as Brunhilde Goldenfoot  
> Hill Dwarf, Ranger level 5 (Hunter) 
> 
> Jackson Whittemore as Rath Skullbreaker  
> Red Dragonborn, Barbarian level 5 (Path of the Berserker)
> 
> Kira Yukimura as Jinx Tidewell  
> Water Genasi, Cleric level 5 (Trickery Domain)
> 
> **Guest Starring**
> 
> Derek Hale as Mooncaller  
> Goliath, Druid level 5 (Circle of the Moon)

The Adventure Continues

✩ ✩ ✩

The coffee table had been wiped down, the snacks laid out, and the technicolor dice dumped from their bags. The game notes had been collected, the cats had (nearly) been herded, and finally, after two weeks, the game was ready to go on!

Stiles looked around the room. Allison, Lydia, and Kira shared the couch. Scott and Issac sat on the folding chairs at either end of the table. Derek lounged on a beanbag off to the side, looking vaguely uncomfortable with being roped into tonight's event. Stiles had worked with Derek on his character and backstory, assuring him that getting into the game was not going to be difficult. Also, that this was valuable pack bonding time (“They're learning teamwork, Derek, _teamwork._ ”)

Only one person, Jackson, was absent. He had said he would make it, and he was already ten minutes late. The only reason this concerned Stiles was because Jackson was one of the most fervent players in the party. Stiles would never have guessed when Jackson joined the campaign five games in, at Lydia's insistence, that he'd go from “I don't want to play that nerd shit, Lyds” to “There better be a fucking game this week Stilinski, I want to know if that kobold is going to betray us.” Stiles looked at his phone, but there was no message from Jackson. Oh well, looked like the game was going to have to start without him.

Stiles clapped his hands as Allison snatched a chip from the small bowl Lydia was holding, earning her an elbow and a half-smile half-glare. “Alright,” Stiles began. “Looks like we have quorum, and I don't feel like waiting any more. Recap of the last game: the party had responded to a message board posting asking for a group of dungeoneers to help explore some ruins in the Greypeak Mountains, far to the east of Waterdeep. After meeting with the expedition lead, an old kobold named Porridge, and stocking up on supplies, the party headed out with a four cart caravan.”

“Along with Porridge and the party there are four more in the expedition. A half-orc named Hadley, a dwarf named Drummar, a goliath named Mooncaller, and a tiefling named Blank. You all headed out from Waterdeep down the Trade Way road to the city of Daggerford. Along the way Claire helped Blank translate some text from celestial to common. In return Blank taught you how to cast the spell Locate Object. You also helped adjudicate a dispute between a troll and the local farmers by setting it up with a job as a bridge toll collector.”

“During your stay in Daggerford Jinx discovered a symbol of a diving dragon carved into a chest in one of the carts. She recognized it as the insignia of the Zhentarim, a ruthless underworld organization bent on increasing its power and influence across Faerun. The party agreed at this point to be on their guard from this point forward, not pressing the issue with the rest of the expedition. After staying in an inn for the night you left Daggerford by boat up the river Grayflow. After a rather uneventful ten days you've arrived in the town of Orlbar, from where you will hike into the mountains. It is the morning and you're all rested up, having slept in the local inn. What do you do?”

At this the players perked up. Lydia spoke first.

Lydia: “I'll stay in my room working on that puzzle box until someone calls for me.”  
Scott: “I'll go downstairs and catch breakfast.”  
Isaac: “I'll join him.”

Kira: “I'd like to see if any of the other expedition members are up and try to strike a conversation with them.”  
Stiles: “Sure, you walk downstairs and see the goliath Mooncaller sitting at a table eating breakfast by himself. He doesn't especially look to be inviting company, but it's worth a try. You don't see any of the others at this time.”  
Kira: “I walk up to the table and ask Mooncaller if I could join him.”

Stiles looked at Derek, making sure he was paying attention. Derek looked back nonplussed. Stiles gave Derek a go on hand gesture. Derek cleared his throat.

Derek: “I s'pose that's alright.”  
Kira: “I flag down a barmaid and ask for some breakfast.”  
Stiles: “A busy looking human woman acknowledges your request and heads into the kitchen.”

Kira: “I turn to Mooncaller and ask Sooooooo... have you worked with Porridge and the others before?”  
Derek: “A couple times. They can be a bit eccentric, but they're decent enough people.”  
Kira: “Are they now? Do you know much about this place we're headed?”  
Derek: “Only what you know I suppose.”  
Kira: “I would like to insight check Mooncaller.”  
Stiles: “Sure.”

Kira took a semi-transparent blue 20-sided die with silver lettering, her favorite, and blew on it before rolling it onto the table. The die clacked two feet before landing with the number 18 facing up. Kira gave a fist bump (“Yesss!”) before checking her character sheet and saying triumphantly: “That's a twenty-three!”

Stiles: “You get the sense that Mooncaller is telling the truth, as far as he knows it, but there does seem to be something else that is agitating him.”

Stiles looked at Derek to confirm something, who nodded back.  
Stiles: “At this point the barmaid returns with your breakfast. Alphonse and Samson, you're both sitting at your own table eating your breakfast when you overhear people at another table engaging in a whispered conversation.”  
Scott: “Perception check?”  
Stiles: “Uh-huh.”

Scott rolled his trademark black die with red numbering and a sword where the number 20 would normally appear. Issac rolled a white die with light blue numbering.

Scott: “I rolled an eight.”  
Isaac: “I rolled a thirteen.”  
Stiles: “Alphonse you are unable to hear what these people are whispering. Samson, you are able to piece together snippets. Apparently there are reports of a strange green glow above the mountains at night. This phenomenom – phemone – no, fuck, phe-no-men-on -” at this several of the players giggled and even Derek cracked a small smile “- seems to have started only a month ago.”  
Isaac: “Interesting. I'm going to keep this to myself until I can relay this to the rest of the party in relative privacy.”  
Scott: “Good call.”

Stiles: “Brunhilde and Rath, what are you up to?”  
Jackson: “I'm sharpening my axe, never know when you'll get into a scrape.”  
Allison: “Is there a stable around here? I'd like to see about renting a mule.”  
Stiles: “Brunhilde, you are just in luck! There is a stable that is able to rent you a mule for three silver a day. You'll have to pay for a minimum of three days up front and the rest when you return.”  
Allison: “Cool! I give them nine silver. Oh- and I ask the stable hand the name of the mule.”  
Stiles: “Goddammit! Making me come up with names on the spot! Um. The mule's name is... is... Eeyore.”

Stiles got a round of _really?!_ faces from all of his players. “Hey, that's what you get for making me think up names on the spot! If you don't like it you're just gonna have to deal.”

“Okay, but is the mule like extra sad looking or something?” Allison laughed.

“Sure, he's a real downer. You actually kind of regret renting him now that you think about it. You're going to have to look at that face for the next few days.” Stiles replied.

“But Eeyore is a donkey, not a mule.” Derek said, smiling from his spot on the beanbag that he seemed to be settling into. Stiles could already tell that Derek was going to be one of those players that loved teasing the dungeon master.

“Same difference,” Stiles sniped back.

“It really isn't,” Derek said, to which Stiles stuck out his tongue.

“Well, to bring things back to the-” Stiles began when there was a clatter and a bang from the front of the house.

Jackson rushed into the room, panting and looking panicked. “You guys, I think I fucked up.”

It was at this time that a bright white light filled the living room while a furious wind whipped papers into the air. Stiles could vaguely hear the rest of the pack shouting over the howling in his ears. Gravity suddenly seemed to triple as he felt himself pulled toward the ground. His vision swam as he tried to crawl towards the clearest voice (Derek?) He felt a great vibration from the floor under him before he passed out.

✩ ✩ ✩

Stiles woke up with a pounding headache. His mouth felt incredibly dry. His eyes were heavy with fatigue. It was surprisingly quiet in the room, which... wasn't his living room. _This was not his living room what the fuck what the fuck._ He took a few deep and measured breaths to keep is panic under control. Standing up, he took stock of his surroundings. He wasn't restrained, so that was a good sign.

The first thing that he noticed was that he was in a small room with just enough space for a low bed, a chest, and a dresser. There was a single window with wooden slats shut closed over it. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all made of wood.

The second thing he noticed were muffled voices coming from outside the room. He yanked open the door to this room and ran out into the hall, almost barreling into a tall, thin woman with long, strawberry blond hair. She was wearing a brown embroidered coat over a scarlet dress. It was then that he realized that her ears were long and pointed, like a vulcan, but somehow even more exaggerated.

“Stiles?” The woman asked. Something about her was eerily familiar.

“Ummmmmm...” Stiles stalled as he tried to come up with a suitable response to a complete stranger in an unknown place knowing his name.

“What the fuck is going on?”

“I don't know. Why don't you start with who the hell you are and how you know my name?”

The woman blinked at that. “Stiles, it's me, Lydia.”

And fuck if that didn't give it all away. Stiles had actually seen someone who looked very much like the woman before him. On a character sheet. Stiles felt his heart race as well as his mind as he placed the pieces together. He rushed down the stairs to his left and into an open room with several small square tables and a bar to one side. Sure enough, there was a large semi-giantish looking creature slumped on a table across from a rousing vaguely human looking man. At another table a tall and very muscular man with tattoos across his exposed body was staring blankly at what could only be a dwarf.

_Fuck._

“Fuck.” Stiles breathed.


	2. Chapter 2

In Which Stiles Gets in Several Unintentional Jabs at the Author

✩ ✩ ✩

Stiles had dealt with a lot of random bullshit in the last year of his life. Bloodthirsty hunters, reincarnating creepy bastard uncles, and a whole pack of alphas. But this was a level of chaotic energy he wasn’t sure he was prepared to handle.

Stiles took in the goliath sitting in the chair five feet from him, still staring at the dwarf across the table. “Derek.”

“Bluh?”

Then he looked at the dwarf. “Allison.”

“What’s going on? Why is everything so tallll? Is that really you Derek?” Allison blinked a few times.

“Allison?” Derek said unsure. “Why are you? You have a beard?”

“Huh,” Allison said, stroking her rather impressive beard. “That’s new.”

Stiles sighed and took stock of the room. He shouted, “Everyone named Derek or Allison or Isaac or Scott follow me upstairs!” At the blank stares he received he added, “Now, if you’d kindly!” This got people moving. They all followed Stiles up the stairs where Lydia was waiting. 

Stiles walked over to a closed door he assumed was Jackson’s and pounded his fist against it. “Piss off!” an unfamiliar voice hollered, so... _not_ Jackson’s.

“Sorry!” Stiles shouted back while moving on to the next door, once again trying to get the attention of the room’s occupant.

A beleaguered looking dragonborn with red scales and frilled ears opened the door. “Stiles? Where-”

“Pack meeting, well, mostly pack meeting. Your room. Now.” Stiles said brushing past the dragonborn (no mean feat, considering the dragonborn’s considerable stature.) The others followed suit.

“Okay,” Stiles said, getting down to business before anyone could interrupt him. “Last thing I remember is everything going to shit in my living room and waking up in this place. Everyone on board with me so far?”

The rest of the room nodded along, used to Stiles taking charge during pack meetings. It hadn’t always been like this. He used to have to butt heads with Derek over even small decisions, and that was only after Derek had reluctantly officially acknowledged Stiles as a member of the pack, which alone took well over a year of proving himself.

Wow. He’d sure come a long way. Good thing too, these dorks would have been toast long ago if not for him.

“So maybe we are all experiencing a mass hallucination, or maybe we’ve all been transported into our D&D campaign. Or both! It seems you’ve all become your D&D characters while I am- I guess I am just me?”

“Do you think we have our character’s powers?” Isaac piped up.

“I do feel like I know how to wield a sword, somehow?” Scott said.

“Now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure I could summon fire?” Lydia added.

“Maybe,” Stiles said, “But this probably isn’t the best place to test that. Hmmm, based on this absurd premise I can only assume that this is the work of a witch. These things are always witches.”

At the mention of witches Jackson winced, causing Stiles to turn on him. He recalled the last thing Jackson had said before everything went to shit. Stiles switched to interrogation mode, his eyes narrowing. “Speaking of, didn’t you say something about fucking up? You wouldn’t happen to know how this happened, would you?”

“Ughhhhhhhh,” Jackson said dramatically. He backed up and rested his head on the door, looking up at the ceiling. “I may have accidentally pissed off a witch, yes.”

The rest of the room broke out into a chorus of disbelief. Except maybe for Stiles. He could totally believe Jackson pulling this shit.

“And how did we piss of the witch?” Stiles asked with the tone of a kindergarten teacher reprimanding a student.

“Ok, so before everyone bites my head off,” Jackson started.

“Quite likely,” Stiles said lowly.

“Well,” Jackson continued, bracing himself. “Let’s say I might have been seeing this girl who was new in town. Let’s say, hypothetically, that a couple months in she let on that she is a witch and knew about us. Um, and let’s say I might have, again, hypothetically, stood her up a couple times to play D&D. Completely by accident, I swear! Sometimes I get so wrapped up into the game I forget I made other plans.”

The group let out a collective groan.

“You’re dating a witch?” Derek said with one eyebrow arched dangerously. This was probably enhanced by the fact that Derek stood a solid seven feet tall, if not more. Jackson at least had the decency to look a little cowed.

“I didn’t know at first!” Jackson said defensively. “Also, she’s pretty cool. I think she’d even be into playing-”

“Wait,” Stiles interrupted. “How did you know that we were in witchy, witchy danger?”

“Um, the last text she sent me said ‘Fine. If you’d rather play D&D I’ll give your friends a D&D game to remember.’ followed by a bunch of skull emojis. I’ve seen her work her mojo before. She can be pretty scary.”

“Awesome! And now we’re trapped inside our D&D game! Good job on that one,” Stiles said. “Hey! Maybe she's in here with us and finding her will be the key to getting us out of here. We could ask around for any hints of witchiness in the area.”

“Seems like a solid plan,” Allison concurred. The others also seemed to assent.

Stiles clasped his hands, “Okay! Next point of order. Find Kira. Since we seem to be exactly where we were in the campaign before Hurricane Jackson showed up I can only assume she is out by the stables.” He turned dramatically toward the door and with a flourish of the hand said, “Let us away!”

✩ ✩ ✩

Kira was having a very confusing day. One moment, she was passing out on the couch while the breath was being sucked out of her, papers rudely hitting her in the face. The next, she was standing in the middle of a stable, holding the reins to a mule while an old man in dirty work clothes told her about how “Eeyore may look like a wet sad sack but was really dependable when it came down to it.” She looked over at the mule. It had a gloomy expression, its ears drooping on either side of its head. Its eyes. Oh god, its eyes were sad puppy eyes squared.

“Um, excuse me,” Kira said, trying to remain polite despite her rising unease. “Where am I?”

“Hyehhhhhh?” The old man squinted at Kira. “You feelin’ alright there? You look a little off. There’s a physician three buildings that-a-way.” The man pointed a shaky finger to his left. “Should be open this time-a-day.”

“Um. That’s fine. I’m fine, thank you,” Kira said with a smile she didn’t feel. She turned and walked with the mule down the dirt road, looking down at the reins she was holding. Oh, the skin on her hand was a dark shade of blue that reminded her of the ocean. She pulled up the sleeve of her shirt to reveal more of the same. Huh. Did this count as an out of body experience?

Now that Kira thought about it, where was she going? This place was completely unfamiliar. The surrounding town looked like something out of one of the Lord of the Rings movies. The buildings were all made of wood and no more than two stories tall. The roads were all dirt, with no evidence of vehicular traffic. 

A couple of people were in sight, walking into a larger building connected to the stables. It looked like the kind of place where there might be a few locals. People who maybe had answers. She tethered the mule to a fence post before walking inside.

As soon as Kira entered the building she was accosted by a small… lizard person? Wait, he looked like one of those what were they called? Oh yeah, a kobold. Like from the Dungeons and Dragons game she was in. The kobold, who stood about four feet high, had rough green skin and a long snout, like a small bipedal alligator. He was wearing a dull grey robe.

“So glad to see you looking refreshed and ready to head out Miss Jinx!” The kobold said cheerily.

 _Oh, I’m dreaming, aren’t I?_ Kira thought, deciding to play along with whatever weirdness was in store for her. She heard of this happening to people who got really into a particular game, dreaming about being inside it. She usually had these dreams about the books she was reading, so this was bound to be an interesting experience. Too bad she wouldn’t remember it when she woke up.

“What can I help you with little Kobold?” Kira asked, practicing her D&D in character banter.

“My name is Porridge, miss.” the kobold said disapprovingly.

“Sorry.”

“As soon as we are all gathered we will be headed up into the Greypeaks, miss. I would advise you ready your warmer clothing. I hear it can get quite cold in the mountains.”

“Sure thing,” Kira said, not knowing where exactly she was supposed to do that. She was saved by the sight of Stiles flanked by several people she recognized as the other characters from their D&D game. This was about to become a very interesting dream indeed.

✩ ✩ ✩

Stiles walked down the stairs to the main dining area to see Kira’s character standing next to a figure that could only be Porridge the kobold, a non-player character in the game that Stiles had designed himself. Good. This meant that events were going to proceed as Stiles had planned for the game, at least for a limited time. He could handle this. He could.

“Excellent!” Porridge exclaimed. “You’re all here. If you would all gather your belongings, it’s about time to embark on the next leg of our journey. Hadley, Drummar, and Blank are waiting for us at the base of the mountain path.”

“Right now?” Isaac asked. He looked at Stiles.

Oh. This was going to put a dent in his plans. Stiles would prefer to ask around town about the witch. Then again, maybe following the quest he had written would be better. At least then he would have an idea of what to expect.

Stiles gave the group a meaningful look. “We should do as he says. We can scout around after.”

“Who’s the human?” Porridge asked. He narrowed his eyes at Stiles.

“Don’t worry, he’s with us,” Scott assured the kobold. Porridge did not seem convinced, but left for outside the inn.

Once the kobold was gone, Stiles slapped his forehead. “Ugh. Of fucking course!”

“What’s the matter?” Lydia asked.

“I just realized: even in this world I’m still the token powerless human.”

“I wouldn’t say you are powerless,” Scott offered. “You know everything that’s going to happen because we’re in the adventure you wrote for us, right? That’s like, being psychic, right?”

“Ha,” Stiles said. “Thanks, bro, but that is giving me way too much credit. You honestly have no idea how much I wing it. Also, I only ever plan like two games out. The rest is a very vague outline and… oh.”

“Oh?” Derek said. He did not like the sound of that ‘oh’.

“Um. I may have set up the end game to be a battle with Demogorgon.”

“Demogorgon?” Lydia asked. “As in the demon prince who rules over all other demons Demogorgon?”

Of course Lydia would know who Demogorgon was. Is? Stiles shrugged, already over it. “Yeah, but to fair, that is like endgame endgame. Like max level everyone has epic gear endgame. We’ll probably find our way out of this mess by then.”

The rest of the group looked dubious, but gathered their supplies from the bedrooms upstairs; their swords, bows, armor, shields, holy symbols, spellbooks, and more.

“Oof, I never realized this playing the game, but carrying all this stuff sucks!” Scott said with a grimace. “We’re gonna have to do this for how long?”

“Don’t worry! There’s a mule outside we can use to haul some of our belongings,” Kira replied, earning a grin from Scott.

The party walked together to the outskirts of town. There they were met by the rest of the expedition, as well as the entrance to a steep and winding rocky trail that ascended the mountain before them.

The walk up the trail was difficult. Even more so since stiles was helping carry some of the party’s gear, and this type of manual labor really did not suit him. An hour into the hike Derek offered to take some of what Stiles was carrying, who handed over a pack containing a bedroll gratefully. Stiles didn’t feel too guilty. Derek looked like he could easily handle the extra weight.

A couple more hours into the hike the expedition stopped for a short meal break. As everyone opened their various packs and satchels to get at their rations Stiles frowned at the ground in concentration. He couldn’t shake off the feeling that there was something important he was forgetting. Oh well, it would probably come to him soon enough.

“Nobody move!” a harsh voice bellowed. Stiles looked up. Ten humanoid figures surrounded the resting expedition with their weapons drawn.

Oh right. This was the part where Stiles had planned an ambush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this world, dwarves of all genders can grow beards, and yes, Stiles is jealous


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter uploaded in honor of Dragon Appreciation Day (even if there aren't any dragons in this chapter)
> 
> Some moderate violence in this chapter as we ratchet up the stakes!

This is Fine

✩ ✩ ✩

Derek watched with apprehension as ten figures stepped out from the surrounding rock formations. Most were wearing leather armor underneath warm overcoats. Some had shortbows or crossbows pointed at the party. Others held various swords and knives at the ready. One elf wearing beautifully embroidered blue robes held a wand aloft.

“Nobody make any sudden movements!” said a human woman holding an axe. She and her compatriots moved in slowly, keeping their eyes and weapons trained on their targets.

“Who are you with?” Porridge asked loudly. He was partially shielded by the half-orc Hadley, who had each hand resting on the hilt of a sheathed shortsword.

“You are in no position to be asking questions or making demands!” the woman responded. “Turn out your pockets and bags and we’ll be on our way.”

Hadley, Drummar, and Blank each gave Porridge a significant look. Derek was starting to get a very bad feeling about this. Porridge held their gazes for a few seconds before nodding.

Immediately everything went chaotic as a fight broke out. Derek watched as Hadley drew both of her shortswords in one fluid motion. She rushed toward the nearest attacker. Drummar pulled out a hand axe and threw it at another. Blank muttered an incantation and the tiefling disappeared where they stood.

“What are you waiting for?” Porridge yelled at the rest of the group. “Fight back!”

It took Derek a second to realize this was really happening. One of the bandits let loose a bolt from their crossbow that barely missed Derek’s shoulder. Another threw a knife that buried itself into Allison’s leg. She shouted in pain.

This moved Derek to action. He searched deep within himself and transformed into a direwolf, marveling that he knew instinctively how to do this. His body molded itself into its new form. It was even more intense than a normal shift, and yet surprising not painful. After he finished transforming he ran at a cloaked figure who tried to shoot him with their shortbow. Derek was too fast and sank his teeth into their arm. They howled and pulled away.

Beside him Isaac swung his sword at another bandit. The bandit parried the blow, but Issac’s next strike hit true. There was a thundering boom as the bandit flew ten feet before landing on his back with an “oof!”

The enemy Derek had bitten nocked another arrow and let it loose. It flew into Derek’s shoulder. He let out a pained yelp before running and leaping up, aiming at his assailant’s throat. He bit down, dragging his opponent with him. There was a brief struggle before the other lay dead before him. Their blood seeped slowly into the rocky ground.

Derek looked around for another target. Issac was locked in combat, trading blow for blow. Jackson was swinging his ridiculously large greataxe in circles around himself as he let out a furious roar. Scott and Allison were working together to take down a half-orc wielding a scimitar. And Stiles. 

Stiles was backing away from three bandits, trying nervously to talk them down. He walked into a tree. Stiles was cornered.

No.

Derek ran after Stiles to protect him. Before he could reach him Stiles closed his eyes tight and flung two hands in front of himself. Three bright red bolts of fire flew out from his hands and hit each of the approaching bandits square in the chest. Derek stopped short. The bandits staggered backward as they tried to pat out the flames that were licking their armor.

Stiles opened his eyes with surprise. He turned to look at Derek and opened his mouth to say something. But no words came out. Instead, several pink bubbles floated out into the air above them. Stiles tried again to say something, only to produce more bubbles.

Derek, taking advantage of the state of Stiles’ attackers, lunged at one of them. He managed to pounce on and knock prone a green skinned tiefling who was in the process of readying some sort of spell. The tiefling rolled over underneath Derek and he barely managed to bite the other’s shoulder. In response, the tiefing poked a finger into Derek’s side.

There was a swift flash of bright orange light that momentarily blinded Derek. He yowled as he felt unbearably hot flames wrap around his body. The acrid smell of burning flesh and fur filled his nose. And oh did that bring back some horrible memories. Fuck. If Derek had any strength left in him he would have eviscerated that tiefling.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see a blurry Stiles running toward him, face full of alarm and bubbles trailing out of his open mouth. There was a sharp kick to Derek’s side that flung him five feet to the left. His breath left him as he landed heavily on his side.

Derek’s body ached and burned as he fought to remain conscious. His body cracked and groaned as he reverted to his humanoid form. As he was slipping he felt hands on his face and shoulder. The light touches moved frantically from one spot to the next. Derek was vaguely aware of the noises of battle continuing around him, as well as the sound of bubbles forming and popping. He managed to open his eyes long enough to see Stiles kneeling over him. Stiles was clearly trying to shout something at someone behind Derek, but was unable to form words.

Derek’s vision swam for a few seconds before a second pair of hands latched onto his side. There was the sound of someone saying a quick prayer to a deity he didn’t recognize and Derek could feel a warmth spread through his body. For some reason that Derek could not fathom the sensation brought him a sense of calm and protection. He could feel his wounds close and his burns heal.

When he came to Derek realized that his head was being held in Stiles’ lap. Despite everything, Derek could not help find the situation a little amusing as he watched Stiles shout bubbles at him.

“Blplplplplplp! Blpplplplp! Lpbpbpbbplblp! Lpbplplooou fucking asshole!” Stiles’ voice returned and the bubbles dissipated. “I thought you were going to die!”

“Sorry,” Derek croaked out. Stiles frowned down at him.

“Not yet you’re not,” Stiles said darkly. He wiped at his face. “I’m so fucking mad at you. Why’d you have to get yourself nearly killed?”

“You were in danger. What?” Derek responded to the look on Stiles’ face. “Was I supposed to let you die instead?”

“No!” Stiles hastily replied. He let out an exasperated breath. “But do you always have to be so damned stupid about it? Always rushing in like a martyr.”

“Pot, meet kettle,” Derek teased.

“Oh fuck you!” Stiles bit out, but there was a hint of a smile on his face. “Fuck. Don’t scare me like that.”

“I’ll try,” Derek said wryly.

“You better. Don’t make me hunt down you spirit in the afterlife and kill again myself.”

“Hey,” Isaac spoke in a low and soothing tone. “Take it easy on him Stiles. This wasn’t easy for any of us.”

At that, Derek lifted his head up and surveyed the area. The battle seemed to be over, all of the bandits either dead or having retreated from sight. For their part, the rest of the expedition seemed to be alive, but it was clear that there were more than a few wounds that would need to be tended to. Derek sat up with a grunt.

“What happened? Where’d all the bad guys go?” Derek asked. He absolutely did not jump when Scott spoke up loudly immediately behind him.

“You should’ve seen it!” Scott exclaimed. “We were totally taking them all out!” Scott pantomimed sword fighting and provided sound effects that sounded more like sci-fi guns than swords clashing. “And then Stiles started shooting these white lights at a bunch of them and they ran away!” He smiled at Stiles.

“I think they just realized that we were going to win,” Stiles said self-consciously. “But hey, I guess we know I am magic! Not sure what kind though.”

“I have an idea,” Lydia provided. The rest of the group looked at her. “Judging by the fact that Stiles randomly turned into a bubble maker back there I’d guess he’s a chaos mage.”

“Oh my god. That’s just _perfect_.” Stiles dropped his head into his hands.

“Why? What is that?” Derek inquired, concerned.

“Rrrrrnnn.” Stiles groaned. “It’s a sorcerer subclass where every time I cast a spell above a certain level there is a one in twenty chance that I make a random magic effect happen.”

“And some of them are fun,” Lydia added facetiously. “Stiles might turn into a potted plant. Or suddenly age or de-age. Or _maybe_ he’ll explode in a fireball and take the rest of us out with him.”

“Oh goody,” Stiles said, despondent.

“You’re saying Stiles might get us all killed?” And yeah that was Jackson’s judgmental voice, specifically calibrated for all things Stiles related.

“Hey fuck you!” Stiles shot back. “I still haven’t forgotten how this is all your fault!”

Before the two could rile each other more Porridge walked over to the party. “Excuse me. Terribly sorry to be a bother. We will be taking an hour to rest up after that most unfortunate incident. Then we will continue our trek to the ruins. I assume an hour’s rest will be enough for each of you?”

The party nodded their assent. Stiles waited until Porridge returned to sit with Hadley, Drummar, and Blank before speaking to the pack.

“Ok. So that sucked,” he began.

“It sure did! I thought you said you knew what was going to happen,” Jackson interjected.

Stiles scowled. “I forgot! I’m sorry! There’s a lot of stuff I have to juggle around in my head when I’m running the game. Sometimes I forget things. It happens.”

“Do you know what will happen next?” Allison asked before Stiles could continue his rambling.

“Yeah. I do,” Stiles answered. “And mostly good news! With a little bit of bad news mixed in because why not?

“Bad news is that— yes Jackson, you were correct —Porridge and company are planning on betraying us. Yes, you’re very smart,” he added at Jackson’s smug look. “Good news is that we can easily take them on. Even better news is that if we wait until they let us into the ruins we can preemptively kill them and get access to some loot that I think will help us find out how to get out of here.”

“How will it help us get out of here?” Derek asked.

“Well there should be a set of scrying bones that we can ask questions and get helpful, if a bit vague, answers from. Also a magical weapon or two. I forget the specifics on those.”

“Sounds like a decent enough plan,” Scott said. “Do we need to come up with a strategy? For how we’re going to fight those guys?”

“That would be a good idea. The ruins have a lot of narrow spaces and cramped rooms. Also a few traps.” Stiles walked over to a tree and snapped off a small stick. He returned and started scratching markings in the ground. “Here’s the basic layout.”

✩ ✩ ✩

The pack spent the remainder of the rest making battle plans and taking care of any lingering wounds. Kira had to admit that this dream was becoming distressing. Why wasn’t she waking up from it? Usually, by this point she would have been able to force herself awake. She felt a vague sense of unease, both at the situation and at an existential level. Something was not right.

When it was time to head out Stiles led Kira by the arm to the back of the expedition.

“Stiles. What’s up?” Kira asked, curious to know why she was being singled out.

Stiles pointed to a pouch slung over Kira’s shoulder. “You got any diamonds in there?”

Kira opened up the pouch and started rummaging through it. “I don’t know. Why?”

Stiles ran a hand through his hair. “In case someone dies,” he sighed heavily.

Kira looked up at Stiles in alarm. “What? Why? That’s not going to happen, is it?” She felt nauseous at the thought. Even in a dream, seeing her friends die would be an unpleasant experience.

“There’s no guarantee that won’t happen before we escape whatever this place is.”

Kira felt her fingers brush against something pointy and hard. She pulled out an impressive specimen of a roughly cut diamond.

“Good,” Stiles said as if confirming something to himself. He turned to Kira, “If someone dies you have a spell called Revivify.”

“Yes. I know.”

“If someone— god forbid —dies you have one minute to use that diamond to cast Revivify and bring them back to life. It’s really important that you do that. We don’t know if we’re following ‘Matrix’ rules here.”

“Matrix rules?”

“We have to assume that if we die here we die in the real world too.”

“Wait. What do you mean real world?”

Stiles stopped walking and stared at Kira for a moment, then asked slowly, “I feel like there’s a miscommunication happening here. Where do you think we are Kira?”

“Um, last thing I remember is falling asleep? I think? I have to admit this is a strange dream but-”

Stiles placed his hands on Kira’s shoulders. “What? No! This isn’t a dream. We were literally cursed by a witch to be trapped inside our D&D game. We talked about this just a few hours ago.”

Kira really didn’t want that to be true. She tried to rationalize it away, but some deep, unhelpful part of her knew it had to be. “Stiles? Are you sure?”

Stiles placed the palm of his hand over his face, obviously coming to some sort of epiphany. “Of course you don’t know! You weren’t there when we were discussing this. I am so sorry Kira. I should have realized.”

As everyone marched higher into the Greypeak mountains Stiles filled Kira in on everything she had missed, her sense of dread increasing with every sentence.

Ok.

Ok.

She was officially ready to get off this ride now, please and thank you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to see a full list of the magical effects Stiles can accidentally unleash go to http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/sorcerer:wild-magic


End file.
